


Hunt or Be Hunted (reworking)

by The8Magic



Category: NCT (Band), SM Town
Genre: Angst, Badass NCT Ensemble, Crimes & Criminals, EXO Ensemble - Freeform, Gang Violence, Graphic Description, M/M, Mafia Boss Lee Taeyong, Mafia NCT, OT21 (NCT), Organized Crime, Red Velvet Spies, Rivalry, White Collar Crime
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-02-23 11:56:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23711122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The8Magic/pseuds/The8Magic
Summary: N-City is controlled by two forces. 127 and Dream. The mafia group 127 has owned the city for years and years, overcoming the local police force. 127 wasn't challenged in any aspect but leader Lee Taeyong still craved more. The only challenge he's ever had to face was the rising gang Dream. The police bring together a group of ghosts to take down 127 and Dream, hoping to bring an end to their reign over N-City.
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Taeyong/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten
Comments: 6
Kudos: 44





	1. Neo Got My Back

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first ever Au and my first ever post on here. I would love it if you could give feedback and your ideas. If you would like to contact me for any reason, my twitter is @tinywnwn (it changes often) and I'll do my best to answer any question. Also, please let me know if you have any ideas or thoughts on this because they are greatly appreciated.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction

N-City, one of the greatest cities in the world. Its gorgeous message is far from true, however. Constant crime, money is sparse for those not on Luck's good side and everyone and there is no peace anywhere. Except, the police force has been overrun by the Mafia group 127, they have taken over the entire Northern Section of the city, however, crime in that area has significantly lessened. The group is helping make the city grow, and become wealthy again.

**127, Veterans: illegal gambling, counterfeiting, embezzlement, protection racket**

Taeyong, 21: Unforgiving boss, strongest player, tactical, stubborn, short temper.

Taeil, 25, consigliere: "cold king", endless advice, countless friends, sweet-talker, treasurer

Johnny, 25: improvised-weapons expert, 2nd in command, bluster, con-man

Yuta, 24: hitman, hacker, only foreign member, weapon supplier, spy

Doyoung, 24: double agent, police officer, keeps tabs on the out-of-mafia business, manipulator

Jaehyun, 23: Minuteman, will do any job, mostly delivers messages verbally, street racer

Jungwoo, 22: Medic, just as important information-wise as Taeil, intelligencer, forger

_Dream. The city's self-proclaimed changers do their work when the city sleeps, therefore earning the name, Dream. They're all practically teenagers who help keep things moving, whilst also doing teenage things. They took the dirty jobs 127 didn't have the time for and were paid nearly as much._

**Dream, juniors: Drug runners, fencing racket, fraud**

Mark, 20: boss, always there to oversee, impulsive, mechanist

Renjun, 20: stranger, assassin, under-boss, spy, very quiet

Jeno, 19: weapons specialist, drag racer, drug-dealer

Haechan, 19: Hacker, cyber scammer, brains, bluster 1/3

Jaemin, 19: thief, treasurer, drug-dealer, con-artist

Chenle, 18: explosives expert, solider, bluster 1/3, usually found with Jisung

Jisung, 18: arsonist, solider, bluster 1/3, ideas are bizarre but useful in sticky situations

_And finally, WayV. WayV was a project created by SM, they are responsible for bringing down 127 and Dream's unlawful reign over the city. They are made of the Best of the Best, but the Best might not be able to out-do 127. However, they have 4 ghosts on their team, allowing them to have the element of surprise on the enemy._

**WayV, new kids: take down 127 and Dream**

Kun. 24: Boss, driver/pilot, methodical, always has a backup plan, bribery

Ten, 24: under-boss, capo, all-rounder, thief

Winwin, 22: Sniper/hitman, drone expert, toxicologist

Lucas, 20: weapons expert, muscle, bluster, 

Xiaojun: tracker, kidnapper, thief, stranger

Hendery: spotter, hacker, stranger, socialist

YangYang: kidnapper, drag racer, ex-dealer


	2. Boss

_Click  
Click  
Click  
Click_

The click of a pen was the only sound heard in the meeting room. Twelve sets of nervous eyes were all trained on one figure. Lee Taeyong. He called all the shots and had his little decorated fingers in everything. He sat in a furnished wooden antique chair. The men called it his “throne” as he would only sit in that chair to speak to a crowd of people. He prized it like a sacred artifact.

“So what’s the news, boys? You all look quite nervous for just a routine check-up.” His voice rang out loud and clear, the older men continued to sweat in their chairs, unsure of who should bring the bad news to the Mafia leader’s attention first.

“Sir, it… it appears that with the new Police Chief now in charge, she has cut some of your deals with the police.” The large meeting room stayed silent for a few moments, the dim lighting giving the entire place an eerie feeling, Taeyong leaned back in his chair, twisting one of the many rings on his fingers.“ And by some, you mean all.” Taeyong’s eyes narrowed, staring at the papers in front of him on the wine-colored table. “Yes, sir.” Taeyong leaned back, running his fingers through his hair, thinking. When he thought, it was dangerous. Taeyongs thoughts led to bad things, assassinations, identity leakages, deaths, and random large sums of money added to his account.

A smile played Taeyongs lips, a smile was dangerous. Taeyong sat straight, writing down something on the long-forgotten billing paper, and handed it to Johnny who stood to his right, hands clasped behind his back. Johnny took the slip, quickly reading the writing, before returning it. He stepped away from the table, bowing quickly to everyone in the room before leaving. The soft bump of the Shoji doors made a few of the men jump, eyeing Taeyong like he was a lion and they were the dumb elephant calf who strayed too far from its mother. One brave soul stood up, bowing deeply to Taeyong before speaking, "There was another thing, boss-" "Don't call me that, it makes me think that I'm some crooked man in a wheelchair." Taeyong snapped, the man quickly shut his lips, glancing nervously at his colleges around him. His colleagues snicked behind closed hands, eyeing each other happily. One less chairman meant more money to them.

Taeyong noticed his hesitation and barked "Speak! I don't have all day."  
"The Police have caught sight of the crates moving across the city and have taken the movers into custody to try and learn what they are and where they are going." The man was red in the face, trying desperately to breathe calmly. Taeyong closed his eyes and stopped all movement. A ticking time bomb.

**BREAKING NEWS: SENIOR POLICEWOMAN LEE JI EUN, 26, HAS DIED OF POISONING INSIDE HOME**

Haechan stared at the television in his room, his mind blank with confusion. To his knowledge, there were no secret toxicologists in the city, and he knew everyone in the city. The news played it off as a suicide, saying that the policewoman's last remaining parent had died earlier that week. Haechan could feel that something was wrong so he grabbed his phone, dialing up Mark.

“Mark, have you seen the news?” The younger snapped into the phone, worry shadowed over his curiosity.

“Yes, what do you think”

“There is no one in this city who is a toxicologist. Only certain government officials have access to toxicologists at all.” Mark was silent on the other end for a few moments

“Are you sure, Haechan.” Haechan stopped biting his nails, ready to fire back with a nasty response before deciding better not too.

Haechan nodded then realized the other couldn't see him before saying “Yes, absolutely.” The call was silent for a few minutes. Haechan was positive that Mark had hung up.

Mark was pacing in his room, his hand that was free was tangled in his dark hair. A million thoughts running through his already busy head. Donghyuck knew everyone in the city, there was no one or thing that escaped his radar. The only toxicologist who was under Haechan’s radar was dead.

Call a meeting, I want to talk with Lee Taeyong about this.” Haechan's jaw dropped, he closed it with his hand before responding.

“Mark, are you sure? I’m positive he has something to do with-” Haechan stopped speaking as Mark's voice overpowered his.

“Yes, I know that. He’s going to be angry and irresponsible. No one died unexpectedly under his watch” Haechan sniffed on the other end “Taeyong has kept peace with us for almost the entire year, from February to now, October. We can’t lose peace now.” Mark stared out his apartment window, eyes the streets below him. The mafia leader has been silent since the fire and hasn't dare show his face on Mark's side of town since.

“I hear what you’re saying, but think about it, 127 has never been this powerful, Taeyong is probably working on something which leaves his little minions un-checked-”

“Then I’ll go. We’ll go.” Mark could hear the cogs in Haechan's brain start turning to spit out a snarky remark "That's final, Donghyuck."

“Are you going to discuss it?” Mark stopped pacing, doing everything he could to push back the memories of that terrible night.

"Yes."


	3. Without You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you guys think!!

“Taeyong!!”

“Winwin! I’m coming! Don’t move!” Taeyong pushed through the building, hot embers falling on his hands and face. Smoke burned his lungs trying to find his teammate.

Winwin laid on the floor, a support beam laid across his leg. Pain seared his face. Taeyong quickly stumbled over, reaching under the crumbling beam and lifting with everything he had. The burning support singed his hands but it wasn’t enough to stop him.

With a scream, Winwin pulled his leg free. Taeyong dropped the support, landing on the floor with a heavy thud. Taeyong grabbed one of his arms, wrapping it around his shoulders and pushing back through the flames. Winwin's labored breathing went quickly unnoticed when it was covered by distant gunfire. Taeyong stopped, coughing into his free hand and searching around the hall. The fire raged in every doorway, inching closer and closer to the unlucky pair.

“Taeyong, the window.” Winwin wheezed out, turning the couple towards the window on the far end of the hall. “It’s only the second floor,”

“It’s not the fall I’m worried about, it’s the feds.” Taeyong snapped back, weighing his options out carefully. Winwin's head was on a constant swivel. Taeyongs anxiety spiked as he heard a battering ram slam into a door down the hall from them. He turned, bracing to see firearm of all sorts aimed at him.

"We know the suspect is dead. It's been a set up this entire time. We have to go now!!" Winwin was silenced over hard plastic hitting plywood. “Guns or ground. Ground or guns!” Winwin yelled over the ram, nudging Taeyong into action.

“Ground!” Taeyong hauled Winwin up as much as he could, running towards the window at the end of the hall. The sound of a door breaking rushed them farther.

"Stop! Get on the ground" An SM Agent yelled, a gun aimed at their backs. Taeyong gritted his teeth and rushed forward. The window was now only about 6 feet in front of them. "Last warning! Show me your hands!!" A few more steps.

Winwin cried out as a loud crack filled the air, his grip on Taeyong lessened and was suddenly gone. Taeyong turned to his partner, but his momentum threw him through the glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments really help me, Let me know what you're thinking!


	4. Pandora's Box

“We all know what happened could have been preventable, by which team however, we’re not sure.” Hansol states, standing at the head of two meeting tables. Dream facing 127. One the screen behind him, four faces faced the audience, each with a name and a rough summary of them beneath each photo.

LUCAS

NAME: WONG YUKHEI  
AGE: 21  
DOB: 990125  
DOD: 190227  
TEAM: DREAM

WINWIN

NAME: DONG SICHENG  
AGE: 22  
DOB: 971028  
DOD: 190227  
TEAM: 127

TEN

NAME: CHITTAPHON LEECHAIYAPORNKUL  
AGE: 24  
DOB: 960227  
DOD: 190227  
TEAM: N/A

KUN:

NAME: QIAN KUN  
AGE:24  
DOB:960101  
DOD: 190227  
TEAM: N/A

“Kun and Ten were paired individuals. As neutral players, they didn’t fall under the two teams: Dream and 127.” Hansol paused, licking his lips and clicking to the next slide. Taeyong’s shoulders tensed as a photo of the demise to their teammates was pulled up. Soon to be an apartment building, the entire structure was engulfed in flames. “And as everyone in this room already knows, this was the last mission either team has participated in; starting the long-awaited and needed peace between the two teams.” Hansol looked around the room, his bright blonde hair standing out from everyone else. Next showed a picture of the late Policewoman of N-City.

“It was announced yesterday at noon that Senior Policewoman Lee Jieun died of suicide inside of her home. It was announced to the public at the command of the Police Cheif. Haechan of Dream has reason to believe that she was poisoned with Ricin, a chemical that is produced by the seeds of the castor oil plant. It is a highly potent toxin that is generally slow. The day she ingested the toxin, the power and service were cut to her surrounding area a few hours prior, making her unable to call for help.”

Yuta scoffed and stopped playing with his fingers for a second to ask, “Why didn’t she just leave? If you can’t dial for help, you can go find help.”

Hansol hummed in agreement, “That's puzzling the police as well. This could be played off as a poisoning but because her door was not locked, the police cleared it and considered it a suicide.” The meeting room fell silent, the only sound was the turning fan in the corner. Hansol gulped, the silence between the two teams was never a good thing. It was broken by Jaehyun’s deep voice, “What do you think, Taeyong?” Taeyong inhaled deeply, eyeing Mark across the room. The policewoman wasn't on 127’s hit-list, none of them were. Taeyongs fingers circled one of his rings, breathing out slowly.

“Unless someone went against my command, it wasn’t us.” He said calmly, leaning back in his chair to prop his feet on the table.

“However, I don’t believe that Dream did it either.” The second-youngest member of Dream made eye contact with the 24-year-old, his eyes narrowed to slits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments really help me out, I'd love to hear what you think!


	5. Up To You

Kun was out for god knows how long. His limbs felt heavy and not attached to his torso. His tongue felt like sandpaper in his mouth, but he was pretty sure the bag over his head was made of sandpaper. He slowly flexed his toes, they were still in his boots, but the knife was missing. His neck felt like it was on fire but he kept his head bowed until he was fully aware that the room he was in was empty. Kun held his breath and closed his eyes, doing his best to listen for any breathing or movement. He finally lifted his head, slowly and carefully. He moved his stiff fingers, wincing in pain as the muscles and joints creaked to life.

After a few minutes, Kun was able to get the first knot of his tied hands. Each knot harder to untie than the last.

Finally, after about thirty minutes, according to Kun’s internal clock, he was able to get both of his hands-freed. He ripped off the bag, taking a big intake of breath. He was in the room he had expected to be. Four dimly colored walls surrounded him. The only things other than the walls were the door, mirrored-window, metal table, and three metal chairs, one of which he was sitting in. Kun gritted his teeth, eyeing the mirrored-window on the left wall.

It wasn’t long before there were two officers in front of him and his wrists were cuffed to the table. It looked like a movie with a "Good" cop and a "Bad" cop. One cop pacing the room, the other sitting calmly on the table, both completely ignoring the chair. The officer sitting in front of him was a woman, probably only there to try and defuse the situation.  
“I’m officer Yoo Jeongyeon, this is my partner, Officer Do Kyungsoo. We are here to talk to you about relations to Mafia 127 and the gang Dream. Would you like some water, Mr. Qian?” Officer Yoo asked, Kun only looked at her.

She sighed, glancing at her partner. “Go get him a cool glass of water will you? And tell the guys in the room that I got this, they can go on break.” Officer Do glanced quickly in Kun’s direction and hesitating before nodding and leaving the room. The two of them stayed silent, the only sound was Kun shaking his leg impatiently, allowing the cuffs on his ankles to rattle against the chain.

Officer Yoo smiled, and calm and seemingly too real smile for an officer, holding up the clipboard she had in her hand, reading from it. Her voice did nothing to help the splitting headache Kun had.

“Qian Kun, 24-years-old, born in China. Used to work at an airport, moving planes and occasionally flying them. No known family. You held a private security job for three years until you were fired for disobedience.” She hummed, seeming to be satisfied before tossing the clipboard away on the table. Her eyes flicked the to window before speaking again, “You know about 127 and Dream, hell, you worked with them. You have more info about them than we do. Which is why I will ask you only once, and you are the final person to accept this deal: If you can capture and submit all members of 127 and Dream to the police, you will be cleared of all charges and you will be able to go back home.”

Home, something Kun wanted to return to more than his normal life before anything happened to him. Home, back in China, with his family again. Officer Do came back holding a small glass of water with no ice in it. "It's completely up to you"

Kun swallowed hard, letting his brain run unrestricted for a few moments before stopping. The promise of returning home seemed nice, but he was still wary. He could see two ways out of this, saying no and ending up behind bars for the rest of his short life. Or, saying yes and being part of a team, controlled by the people he hates the most. He adjusted himself in the seat, a minuscule plan forming in his head.

“When do I start?” Officer Yoo hummed, seemingly happy with his response. She looked over at her partner and motioned her head towards Kun’s handcuffed wrists. Officer Do sighed before moving over with his keys in his hand. He eyed Kun’s fingers warily as he unlocked each cuff, finally allowing Kun to touch his itching neck.

Kun inhaled deeply, satisfied that he was partially out of the restraints on his life. Officer Yoo got off of the table and started walking to the door, “Follow me,”


	6. Touch

Johnny’s muscles ached, his neck was tight and his left foot felt like it was about to fall off. But the person in front of him was calm, not in any pain, and enjoying the experience. She slowly moved to list her leg back behind her head, balancing precariously on her nimble toes. Johnny envied Taeyeon, she could push all of her thoughts away and just bend her body to her will and be happy about it. She could sit in complete quiet and peace.

“I don’t understand how you can do this Taeyeon, I just don’t get it.” Johnny gritted through his teeth, after trying to mirror her pose. His eyes were closed in concentration but he could still feel Taeyeon’s smile.

“Just breathe, John. Don’t worry about the past or the future, just worry about the present, right now.” She said, her calm voice soothing his stiff neck only slightly. The pain returned when she pulled her hand back to trace it down his muscled arm, pulling it even farther back behind his head.

“I can’t, not with Taeyong and Taeil breathing down my back like wild animals.”

Taeyeon sighed, returning to a standing pose and placing her hands on Johnny’s wrist, letting him know that he could keel over and die, finally. Johnny practically melted into the floor, letting his tense muscles relax and allowing the blood to flow back into his foot. His trainer laughed, it was loud and stark against her quiet demeanor.

“You act like its the end of the world,”

“Because it is!” Johnny exclaimed, laying starfish on the hard concrete floor. “I feel like I’m dying every time, my head just doesn't clear, it gets filled with information and plans and people and just,” He sighed, defeated, “everything. And, I don't know how you can do those stances, I feel like a bull in a china shop.”

She laughed again, covering her mouth. “Johnny, don’t worry about your job or what's going on out there. Worry about what's going on here.”

“Here my back hurts,” Johnny huffed, he was staring at the ceiling, his mind running a million miles an hour. Toxicologists? Fake deaths, no police reports...That's what Taeil said to think about. Johnny trusted only one other person outside of his crew and that was Taeyeon. They grew up together in the suburban neighborhoods of N-City, both from rich families with clean money. When Johnny's parents died, Taeyeon and her family took him in.

“Taeyeon,” Johnny started, she turned to look at him from her phone. “Are there any toxicologists in the city that you know of, labs maybe? People who deal with chemicals.” she thought for a moment, her eyebrows furrowed together in concentration.

“I mean, there was an old lab that shut down. But other than that I can’t think of any,” it was silent for a second, “Oh! But there is this kid that my friend is friends with, super into science and stuff like that. He street races too, I’ll ask her when their next get-together is and I’m sure my schedule is clear enough for it.”

Johnny’s hopes raised, maybe they had a lead after all. “I’ll have Jaehyun go with me, I’m sure he wants to show off his cars anyways.”

“That sounds fun, I’ll let you know when I’m next available. But let's continue,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I just wanted to remind everyone that during these "difficult" times, please stay safe and healthy. To all of the protesters, make sure you keep your face covered and dont get backed into a corner. Before you go, please make sure you are familiar with the area and have a group of people around you at all times. Thank you.


	7. Running 2 You

“Get over here you punk!!” A glass bottle shattered right next to YangYang’s head against the concrete wall. YangYang spared a glance behind him to his drunken uncle before speeding up even more, now allowing the narrow alley to slow him.

His uncle tripped, stumbling against a trashcan to get back to his feet. “I’ll fucking kill you!” YangYang winced, taking his eyes off the ground in front of him. His bare foot crashed down, allowing broken glass bottle shards to find themselves in the sole of his foot.

YangYang cried out, falling on his side and holding his foot. His uncle charged forward, a new broken bottle in his raised fist. Yangyang’s fear forced him to forget about his foot and care about the charging bull in front of him. He scrambled backward, like a scene he would see in horror films.

“Uncle! Please! I didn’t take it!” YangYang cried, his uncle stopped briefly staring down at his nephew who was practically yelling for his life.

“Don't lie to me! I know you took it! Where is my watch!?” The same arm that held the bottle, the wrist was the home to the watch he so desperately cared about. It flashed in the dimly lit alleyway, but the wearer did not care. “I’m going to kill you, thief! I’m going to string your body up so you’re dead parents can see you!!”

YangYang’s hand closed around a shard of broken glass, adrenaline pulsing through him dangerously. His uncle’s bloodshot eyes closed in on him, more and more. YangYang felt his uncle’s hot breath on his face, and a broken bottle in hand.

YangYang forced his hand up, feeling hot liquid spill down his forearm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cold water doused his head, jolting YangYang from his nightmare. His brother's face was covered in a mischievous smile. Xiaojun gently placed the empty cup on YangYang’s bedside table. His smile faltered just slightly seeing Yangyang’s glare but grew as he eyed the wet patch forming on the pillow.

“Aw, little Yangie cried”

“Xiao Dejun, I’m going to make you regret the day you were born, ” YangYang muttered, the threatened merely laughed

“What are you gonna do? Run me over with your expensive cars? Strap me to the front of your drag racers and Mad Max me to death?” Xiaojun snickered, placing a hand on the door frame to make a run for it in case the younger decided to attack. "That's exactly what I'm going to do, and I'll make the whole police academy watch.

YangYang lunged, reaching for Xiaojun’s shirt. The attacked made a run for it, sliding in his socks. Yangyang was quickly behind him, his bare feet allowing to give him grip on the hardwood floors. He chased Xiaojun all around the apartment they shared with 3 other boys, all were used to the running. Yangyang quickly excused the complaints from his roommates, barely brushing past Xuxi's outstretched arm. He could feel his shirt snap past Xuxi's fingertips. Xiaojun stopped abruptly, staring at the opening to the front door. YangYang wrapped his arms around Xiaojun's throat, pulling him backward off his feet and onto his back. He could hear the air being pushed out of Xiaojun's lungs.

"Liu Yang Yang, Xiao De Jun" They both froze, hearing the Commander's voice. "Meet your new leader, Qian Kun."


	8. Bad Alive

The smell of gas and gunpowder was something that always seemed to accompany Chenle, whether it is going shopping or simply getting ready for bed that smell always lingered. Jeno liked to refer to the movie Parasite when talking about it. 

“You know how the family almost gets caught for the Semi-Basement odor. Well, you kind of have that, but in bomb form.” Chenle would simply shoot a glare at the older member and return to whatever he was doing. It usually worked until Jeno would scuff him on the back of the head for ignoring him. 

It was great for somethings, he never had to announce himself when he walked into a room because his clothes would do it for him, but horrible for others because he doesn't have to announce himself when walking into a room. Like right now with Jaemin’s arm wrapped around his throat. Seconds earlier Chenle had tried to sneak up on him and pour water over him but was now being practically waterboarded. Chenle managed to wriggle free, gulping down a generous amount of air. 

“Jaemin, what the fuck!” 

“You asked for it trying to scare me. I could smell you from across the country!” 

The fighting duo could hear Haechan fall out of his chair laughing a few rooms down. Jaemin’s partially wet blonde hair made him even funnier to look at than normal. Chenle chuckled to himself as he wrapped his body into a little ball as his attacker peppered him with punches and kicks. 

“Hyung!” Jaemin and Chenle turned to the door upon hearing Jisung’s cry. Jisung's brunette head peeked in the room looking disheveled and panicked holding a plastic bag, Jaemin took a deep breath and Chenle felt like he was going to vomit. 

In the bag held a ring. Their ghost’s ring.

“Where did you find that!” Jaemin whispered, eyeing the hallway behind Jisung and pulling him in the room. Chenle picked himself up off the ground, holding Jisung’s arm to ground the younger and himself. Jisung's shirt was wet like he had stayed out in the rain for too long. Chenle could understand why. 

“It… it was on the doorstep, in the bag and everything. It had a note, h-here.” He fumbled his pants pocket, pulling out a yellow slip of paper. 

Jaemin snatched the note from the brunette, his eyes scanning over it quickly and checking the back for any extra information. Chenle’s stomach dropped as Jaemin passed the note to him. 

_“Just a ring. For now.”_

“‘For now’? What does that mean? Is… is Yukhei dead? Really dead?” Jisung asked, staring at Jaemin with horror in his eyes. Jaemin shrugged. It was for the first time in a while that Chenle saw Jaemin without an answer. Jaemin always had an answer to everything, whether it be the truth or some snarky reply. 

"We have to tell Mark, he has to know," Chenle whispered, something about this seemed private. Jisung nodded.

Chenle and Jisung were added after Mission Neo. Jaemin had found them on his normal run to bail out Jeno from a failed contact with a dealer. Chenle and Jisung were just outside the jail, messing with a homemade bomb to just cause havoc. The duo planned to set it off from a safe distance and watch as the police officers panicked, but Jaemin stopped them. He had sent them off with the remaining bail money he had and a slap on the back of their heads. 

Jaemin from then on took care of them, making them food and giving them some extra cash now and then to help them get along. After one day of walking into the abandoned storage house, they were staying in, and almost having his eyebrows sizzled off, he asked them to join their team. They talked about it with each other briefly but they both agreed. 

When Jaemin brought it up to his team leader, it was quickly shut down. Mark was mourning hard but Renjun managed to talk with Jaemin and try again with Mark. This time it worked, Mark agreed and Chele and Jisung were added to the team. The two youngest were closest to Jaemin, going to him for any help with anything at all. He was their family now. 

"Chenle, go get Haechan or Renjun. We have to know that its real before anything else. We cant make assumptions because it would ruin Mark." Jaemin said as Jisung passed the plastic bag to Chenle. Chenle nodded and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He went straight to their techy, he was only a few doors down but as he got closer he could feel the air around him lighten up. 

"Haechan," Chenle muttered, entering his room and closing the door behind him. The spoken to turned, eyeing the bag. Chenle speed forward and handed it to Haechan. 

Haechan inspected the bag, making sure there wasn't anything in the liner of the zipper. Once he deemed it safe, he opened the bag, reaching in and extracting the ring. Haechan dropped the hard metal loop on his desk, eyeing it carefully. 

Chenle expected Haechan to whip out some gadgets and test all sorts of things on the ring. All he did really was look at it. 

"It's real." Haechan stated matter-of-factly and crossing his arms. "The ruby and insignia are real, the cut is exact and it even has his terrible carving job on the inside." Chenle peered at it, eyeing each of the things Haechan pointed out. 

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I'm sure! Have I ever been wrong?" 

"No."

"Good, now get out of here and go tell Mark!" Haechan barked, but quickly contradicted himself "Actually, _I'll_ tell him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments really help me out! Feel free to tell me what you think!!

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments really really help me! Let me know what you think!!


End file.
